A SEX predator bus driver who raped boys for 30 years was finally brought to justice after a passenger recognised him as his childhood abuser.

The man, now 36, was stunned to recognise vile Gavin Bowie behind the wheel of a bus in Halifax.

By an incredible coincidence, both abuser and victim had chosen to move from Scotland and make their homes in the Yorkshire town.

The victim, who had been abused in Glasgow 20 years before, said yesterday: “At that moment, I turned into a scared little boy all over again. That man ruined my life. I could never, ever forget his face.”

When the man reported Bowie to the police in 2013, it emerged that another victim had come forward only 13 months before.

Detectives had not been able to construct a strong enough case to prosecute Bowie at that stage.

But the chance encounter on the bus in Halifax changed all that – and led officers to a trail of other victims on bus routes Bowie worked in several parts of Scotland.

On Wednesday, Bowie, 64, will be sentenced for 15 sex offences, including male rape, against 11 boys aged 12 to 16.

But police and the victim who found him in Halifax believe there are many more victims and Bowie would have continued offending if he had not been caught.

Bowie’s serial abuse spanned almost three decades from 1972 to 2000, when he was a bus driver in Glasgow, Cumbernauld and elsewhere in Scotland.

He picked out his prey from boys who used the buses, allowing them to travel free and luring them to his home with promises of cannabis, alcohol and sweets.

Alan Bowie was abused by his uncle Gavin Bowie at the age of 14 (Image: Daily Record/Alasdair MacLeod)

With some of the boys, he terrorised them, threatening to hurt them or their family if they didn’t comply with his sordid demands.

The victim whose chance encounter helped bring Bowie to justice endured a catalogue of abuse that was typical.

He was one of a number of children Bowie preyed upon on his regular route from Easterhouse in the east end of Glasgow to the city centre.

The boy was only 13 – and vulnerable because he was shy and lived alone with a single mum.

The victim said: “I was a really good kid but I lacked confidence. From the time I got on that bus as a child and met Bowie, my life changed forever.”

Bowie was also a petty crook and a schemer and he told his young victim he could make some money selling pirate videos and stolen clothes.

After the boy agreed, Bowie took him back to his house in Cumbernauld and plied him with booze.

The boy passed out but woke to find Bowie abusing him. He ran to the kitchen to get a knife but Bowie claimed he was “connected” and would have both him and his mother beaten up.

Over the next 18 months, Bowie continued to harass the boy, abusing him and threatening him with violence.

The victim recalled: “I was really scared of him. There was only me and my mum in the house and I thought he was a real hard man. He was always feeding me up on drink and making me do things.”

Long after the abuse finished, the victim remained haunted, becoming a heroin addict to block out his torment. He tried to kill himself a number of times.

He said: “Bowie ruined my life. I was in and out of prison and I lost everything. I couldn’t go to the police because I thought I wouldn’t be believed. I was just a drug addict and criminal.”

The victim, who is now free of heroin, said he also felt too ashamed to speak out. He said: “As a man it is so hard to admit something like that has happened to you.”

Bowie’s victim moved to Halifax in 2006, not realising his abuser had moved there too, some years before.

Then in March 2013, he boarded the bus that would bring his nightmare flooding back – but ultimately bring his abuser to book.

He recalled: “I went to the back of the bus and my whole body was shaking. I was with a friend and I told him, ‘That man is Gavin Bowie and he abused me as a child.’ I was that wee scared boy again. I thought, “Bowie has come back for me.’”

But he was glad he found the courage to report Bowie.

It turned out that the previous April a man living in Northampton told police Bowie had abused him from the age of 12 in Cumbernauld between 1985-88.

That first case was investigated by the Rape Investigation Unit in Lanarkshire but they lacked evidence until the second victim came forward in Halifax.

The Halifax victim said: “I know that if it wasn’t for me going to the police, he would still be doing that to other boys. The victims we know of are probably the tip of the iceberg.

“I would tell other men in the same situation to come forward. The police will take them seriously and they can prevent it happening to anyone else.

“I can’t thank the police enough. They were really helpful and understanding. It was overwhelming for me to be believed.

“The case has put some demons to bed. It has taken 20 years but I am just glad he has been found guilty and I hope he will rot in jail.”

Detective Chief Inspector Laura Mcluckie, who was senior investigating officer on the case, ordered a hunt for other victims and using information from the two they already knew of, they traced men who had used Bowie’s buses when they were boys.

She said: “It snowballed from there. We looked at his employment history and where he had worked.

“The most difficult part was cold calling male victims.

“We were asking them to speak about the most intimate information. Some of them found it very traumatic to speak about what happened. They needed a lot of time and support to tell us what happened.”

Through the investigation, the unit were able to find another nine victims who agreed to testify against Bowie.

Mcluckie said: “It never ceases to amaze me the commitment and courage that victims have to come forward and report these crimes.”

This month, Police Scotland unveiled the National Child Abuse Investigation Unit, which will now investigate complex cases and support divisions in tackling sex abuse cases.

Mcluckie said: “We are not only looking at the historical aspect, we want to also prevent future victims.

“This case should serve as a warning to perpetrators that we will find them and we will bring them to justice.”

Alan Bowie (Image: Daily Record/Alasdair MacLeod)

Monster uncle almost drove me to kill myself

BOWIE repeatedly raped his own nephew, Alan, over a six-week period when the youngster was in his early teens.

The abuse has haunted Alan for 40 years but now he is relieved to have finally been able to break his silence.

He said of Bowie, who is his father’s brother: “He was a monster. A manipulator and schemer who just didn’t care about the damage he was doing.”

In 1974, Alan, then 14, considered throwing himself in front of a train to escape the abuse.

Alan was living with his grandmother in Easterhouse while his parents were working abroad – and Bowie, 10 years older than his nephew, also regularly stayed there.

Alan, now 54, said of Bowie’s abuse: “He was subtle. His narrative was that it was normal. My problem was that I had nowhere to go. I was a kid and my parents were living in South Africa. My situation was dire.

“I was mentally and physically exhausted and I suffered utter degradation at his hands.

“He didn’t care about the damage he did. I am sure there are many more victims out there.”

Bowie knew if he had told his grandmother what was happening, she wouldn’t have believed him. She idolised and spoiled Bowie, professing that he would become a huge success one day.

Alan said: “To her, he was the golden child and nothing could be said against him.”

But one day in the house, Alan snapped and punched Bowie in the face.

Alan said: “After weeks of his abuse, I cracked. Flying through the air, I punched him so hard on his face his specs broke into his nose.”

Covered in blood, Alan jumped on his bike and headed for Easterhouse railway station.

He said: “I was seconds away from throwing myself under a train. I just didn’t know what to do.”

But as he stared at the tracks, a woman talked him out of suicide.

Although Alan took to alcohol, he refuses to afford Bowie the power of having ruined his life.

“I will not give him that credit.”

He only told his story when police tracked him down and he said he would encourage other men who have suffered abuse to come forward.

He said: “When the police came to me, I thought I had buried it all long ago but I hadn’t. Ultimately you can’t do that successfully. Speaking out was the right thing to do.”